Three white men were being held by detectives in London yesterday after an Afghan taxi driver was taunted about the World Trade Centre bombing and beaten up so severely that he was left paralysed from the neck down.

Scotland Yard said that they were treating the attack on Sunday morning in south-west London as racially motivated and arrested three men, who were all in their 20s, on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

The cab driver, 28, had picked up three male passengers and one female passenger in Acton, west London, before then dropping them off in Staines Road, Twickenham, Middlesex.

He was set upon by three white men outside the Prince Blucher pub. Officers found the victim lying in the street outside his vehicle just after 3am.

He had been assaulted, racially abused, hit over the head with a bottle and kicked while he lay on the ground.

Witnesses have told detectives there had been an argument over the fare.

Officers believe remarks were made about last week's atrocities in the US, blamed on Islamist terrorists, but they are still trying to establish what was said by whom.

The victim was taken to the West Middlesex hospital, but after his condition deterio rated he was taken to Charing Cross hospital.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "During the incident we believe that some comments referring to the recent tragic events in America were made.

"But as yet police have not been able to confirm what was said or attribute these comments to either party."

Inspector Clarke Jarret said: "The victim is in a stable condition in a high dependency unit. He is paralysed from the neck down."

A string of harassment, verbal abuse and physical attacks have been reported across Britain since last Tuesday's atrocity.

Wiltshire police are investigating whether the beating of an Asian woman with a baseball bat was linked to a racist, anti-Muslim backlash.

Two white men pounced on the 19-year-old woman in Swindon on Friday and repeatedly hit her around the head with the bat.

A Wiltshire police spokeswoman said: "In view of the recent atrocities in America, we do not rule out the possibility that it may be linked.

"This was a totally unprovoked and cowardly attack on a decent and well-respected member of the Swindon community, who just happens to be a Muslim."

The victim was released from hospital after being treated for bruising.

Iqbal Sacranie, from the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This is what we feared could happen, that some extreme racist element would carry out this sort of attack using what happened at the World Trade Centre as an excuse.

"Partly it is the fault of how the media has reported it, which does not distinguish between the extreme elements which may have been involved in the bombing, and the rest of Islam which is nothing to do with them.

"From Wednesday onwards there has been an increase in attacks. The community must take the necessary precautions and be more vigilant."